filmmaker | musician

Tag: music

Dear friends, it’s actually happening! I will be singing for you in two days. It’s almost surreal but it also feels like the most natural thing in the world.I feel ready. I’ve been rehearsing a lot.I’ve tried to bring as much beauty and be as truthful in writing these songs as I can muster.

Seems that writing and performing are two different things, kind of like acting and directing. I’ve been reading this amazing book on Mysticism in Sound and Music. It’s quietly revolutionary. It speaks right to my heart and validates the thoughts I’ve had on music, harmony and dissonance. Light and darkness … So much!I don’t want to get too much into it here because you should read it for yourself. The idea that all is vibration, that everything is music and that music is divine language is something that has governed my life for a while. I could talk about this for-ever!

I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to be able to put my heart into movies and songs and share them with you. I can’t even tell you how honored I feel by each of you who’s bought a ticket for the show on Sunday. I am truly grateful and I hope that you will be enriched for having shared that experience with me.

The show sold out twice today which made me feel all the love, so I have released more tickets.

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There’s so much to tell you, I don’t know where to begin.First off, thank you for being part of my community here. A special welcome to all of you who have just arrived. Wish I could give you a glass of champagne in proper Parisian fashion.

Second, I want to tell you a little bit about that volatile situation I mentioned on FB. I was to go into the middle east and direct a documentary film during a rescue mission. The story was and is very compelling and one I believed in fully but it fell through.

So, I’m staying in Paris, focusing on my vampire documentary and the release of the Egypt film I directed. The two films are in such stark contrast when it comes to the production details. With “Free Trip to Egypt,” we have a big team working on the release, around the clock, it seems. With “Strigoi,” it’s just me, sticky notes on a wall and the occasional strolls in the cemetery with my vampire expert friend.

A Music Story

It’s been a rich and difficult couple of years. The things that have kept me going, aside from inner fortitude, or stubbornness, are my friends and music. I started writing songs. I have a handful of them now and as you know, I’ve been debating whether I have the courage to share them with you or not. I think I’ve always wanted to but I wasn’t sure if it would be too personal or if the songs are even decent.

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Little movie keeps going …

“Hello Ingrid. Thank you so much for allowing us to share your beautiful film. All enjoyed and had a poignant discussion after the film. We shared your quotes with the audience and also showed the film twice before we discussed it. The international film festival here in Carson City NV looks forward to more of Goat Lips Productions !! Please keep in touch if you have time. Best regards. Linda”

It’s the end of February! I always like telling you when we are. We are in the year 2018, approaching March in a whirlwind of events, of ups and downs …

I’m sharing a little bit of good news. “Transilvania Frumoasa” was featured at the Carson City International Film Festival. The letter above came from the director of the festival. Being appreciated never gets old. (Thank you to everyone who’s joined this prestigious group, my mailing list so you could watch the film.)

“Transilvania Frumoasa” (Transylvania the Beautiful) is my first short documentary, made on an Iphone 5. I wanted to say that it was a simpler time back then, seeing that I am now in post production with two feature length documentaries, living by myself in Paris, gearing up to write my next project (the most challenging yet!) … but that time back then, wasn’t simple either. I remember the edit. I had nasty flu, I couldn’t even stand, I was under a crazy deadline … I recorded about 50 takes of the narration. It’s not that long ago but it feels like another lifetime.

I’m keeping this letter short because if I start, it may get really long! All I’m going to say is that this is the most challenging time I have ever experienced, that I’m looking for that space between the “either” and the “or” and that I am experimenting with a new thing: being alone. What a strange challenge. I am grateful for it and for all the film work as well. I am doing what I love with a refining fire blazing around me.

End of January, I flew to Chicago to play a show with Forest for these fine people at Twelve Consulting.
They do so much good work in their community.
Jill started the company and her husband Josh joined in.
I am inspired.

What’s next …

In 2 days I’m leaving Paris for Oaxaca (via San Francisco for one night. I get to see Forest and smell some redwoods. Ahhh. I can’t wait.)

After 5 days of Oaxaca, where I’m doing a rough-cut screening of the Egypt film I will return to San Fran for 10 whole days!

Mid March, back to my solo existence in Paris for about 3 more months to finish editing the Egypt film AND the vampire/strigoi documentary.

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After sunshine must come rain.
September 1st rolled in in style, here in Lugano, Switzerland. Yesterday was hot and humid as every summer day we’ve had since we arrived. Then evening came.
A flash of light and a rolling thunder made way for a carousing tempest that raged all night.
Nothing like a storm at the edge of a lake. It feels like a divine dance marked by loud clapping and deep belly laughter. Fiesta, forever!

We have been here in the south of Switzerland for the past 6 weeks, editing the feature documentary we filmed in Egypt this summer. I am very happy with the editor we have on our team. He’s most certainly in the realm of wishes come true when it comes to a working relationship. On top of that, his fiancee has been a real ray of sunshine as we delve in the depths of the footage to find the story.
Forest has been making so many amazing meals for the whole house and jumping in the lake any chance he gets.
We’ve all been living in the same house with rolling guests. My parents came by for a weekend, my friend Caroline from SF for another, Deepa for a day and Tarek our exec has been mostly here but out at times too.
So the core group, consisting of Pierre our editor, Amy, Forest and myself has been holding down the fort.

Film Festival Screening

Concert in Berkeley

Forest Sun and I, joined by the amazing musician and producer Gawain Matthews will be playing a private show for Rosecrest Concerts on Saturday, 9/9

Paris next …

After just 8 days in the Bay Area, we’re off to Paris for the fall to spend six more weeks on the edit!
At first I felt sad not to come home but then I thought … Paris … the fall … making the movie better …
Although we have been home less than 2 months this year, I am looking forward to being in Paris and polishing this film.
And then, we’ll come home in November. …. and I hopefully and willfully get to finish my vampire film as well.
To sum up the state of my heart and mind, “help and thank you.”

Please write back and tell me how you are.
I always enjoy hearing from you.

Ingrid

PS. To help with the Hurricane Harvey relief I donated to MusiCares. If you’re moved to find out more info about them, you can do so HERE. I am not officially affiliated with MusiCares but I support the work that they do.

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Yes, Forest and I are in Cairo, Egypt! We are safe and happy creating a fantastic documentary film.
3 days of meeting many wonderful people, finalizing our local crew and Egyptian cast, quite a task in itself. To remind you, we are bringing Americans and their families on a free trip to Egypt so that they can experience this place for themselves, creating a feature documentary around it.

Every single person we met here has been an absolute delight (minus one … more on that later). This is my very first time in Egypt and first time directing such a large crew and cast. Talk about going from 0 to 60 in a few seconds.
The gratitude that I feel for this project, Egypt and the people I’m working with is propelling me forward at a dizzying speed.

The reason why we’re here now is to arrange for the big trip later this summer, part of which includes location scouting. Yesterday we went to the pyramids, which brings me to the “minus one” person.

There is a bit of a fiasco at the gates to the pyramids because they closed at 4pm due to Ramadan. As a result of a flurry of loudly spoken Arabic words exchanged by our people and the gate keepers we end up in horse-drawn buggies going to somewhere outside the pyramids for a “nice view.” The ride is intense and beautiful. We are going through the suburb of Giza, a colorful and dense region populated by many smiling faces, horses and camels.

We start climbing the desert hills. Our driver and horse have a good working relationship, the horse is allowed to rest when he needs to. It is quite beautiful, they way the understand each other without words or the violent whip. I can’t say the same for the other driver. He is cruel and ruthless and he breaks his whip on the horse’s haunch. We get to our vista point I am in tears. I want to free the horse, tend to his bloody cuts and send his oppressor as far away as possible. But I cannot. The torturer is a young man. He knows how I feel and I don’t know if that makes him prouder of his power or gives him a second thought about his actions.

The view of the pyramids is stunning and impressive. The sacred and the suffering seem to have a lot in common, don’t they? I don’t have it in me to get a smiling photo of myself in front of the pyramids. I just stand there and let it all mix in with the strong wind that wipes my tears.

When our American travelers arrive, they will not be taking the horse and buggies to the pyramids.

There’s loads more to share with you but I’ve already written a lot so I’ll close here, but not before I share with you our latest music video, below. Hope you find inspiration and joy in it. I know we do. 🙂

Sending you much love and a warm embrace from the Egyptian sun.

Forest Sun’s new single, “Now or Never” with Gawain Mathews and Kyle Caprista.

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I met Anuţa (pronounced Anutza) on the vampire search trail which took us north of Transyvania, in Maramures. I feel in love with her within the first 2 minutes of meeting her. As soon as she shared her love of singing, I asked her to sing for me. It became clear that she would be the subject of my December film.

Maybe it’s ego centric to see one’s life in the reflection of another but she made me think of what my life would have been like had my parents refused to let me go to music school.

I love this woman for the beauty of her soul, the delicate and mesmerizing sound of her voice and for the fact that she lives with ardor and an uncompromising sense of self. As she might wish she took a different path in life, my wish is that I may be as strong and graceful as she is.

And while I’m wishing, here’s a wish for you.
May 2017 bring you health, joy, strength and wonder.

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I was going to wait and write you at the end of the month, as usual, when I send you that month’s film but the falling snow made me think of sending you some love today. We really are having a white Christmas.

Forest and I recorded our version of Blue Christmas. With an accordion. We had a lot of fun making this video. Hope it brings a smile to your face as well.

I’ll talk to you soon! In less than a week when I send you movie #11 of my movie challenge. How this year has flown by!

So grateful for you!

PS. Our outfits above are the typical clothes people in the north or Romania wear during the holidays. This region is called Maramures and it is magical. I got quite a bit of footage up there for the vampire movie! I could tell you so much more but I’ll save it for another time. The only thing I want to say is that the women in Maramures are unapologetically powerful. I was moved to tears. More on that later. ….